Description: This dataset documents field investigations regarding the release of legacy World War I and II munition explosive compounds into marine biota, focusing on munition dumping areas west of the island of Sylt and south west of the island of Heligoland, North Sea. Flatfish Limanda limanda (common dab) was chosen as a sentinel species. Sampling was conducted during the HE635 cruise in March 2024 with the research vessel Heincke of the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). Fish were caught using bottom trawls deployed close to the borders of the dumping areas marked on the sea charts. Before dissection, captured fish were transferred to seawater tanks, and only live fish were taken for analysis. Each individual was measured, weighed, and after killing the fish livers were assessed macroscopically. In addition, biometric factors were measured to determine condition factors as indicators of general health. Tissue samples of gills, liver, and muscle, as well as blood, bile, and urine, were taken, immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -20°C before chemical analysis. Sample processing in the laboratory followed established protocols (Bünning et al. 2021). In brief, all samples were homogenized and then extracted using solid phase extraction (SPE). Bile, urine, and blood samples were treated with β-glucuronidase (Helix pomatia), followed by a liquid-liquid extraction step for blood and bile samples before SPE. All samples were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for the explosive compound 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), its metabolites 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT) and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT), and the explosive by-products 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) and 1,3-dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB). Additionally, liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to quantify the nitramine explosives hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX). The dataset includes measured compound concentrations and associated sample metadata.
Global identifier:
Doi(
"10.1594/PANGAEA.996429",
)
DataMeasurements(
DataMeasurements {
domain: Unspecified,
station: None,
measured_variables: [
"Comment",
"DATE/TIME",
"ELEVATION",
"Event label",
"LATITUDE",
"LONGITUDE",
"Limanda limanda, bile, 1,3-dinitrobenzene",
"Limanda limanda, bile, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene",
"Limanda limanda, bile, 2,4-dinitrotoluene",
"Limanda limanda, bile, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrolouene",
"Limanda limanda, bile, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrolouene",
"Limanda limanda, bile, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine",
"Limanda limanda, bile, octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine",
"Limanda limanda, blood, 1,3-dinitrobenzene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, blood, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, blood, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, blood, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, blood, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, blood, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, blood, octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, gills, 1,3-dinitrobenzene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, gills, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, gills, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, gills, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, gills, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, gills, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, gills, octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, liver, 1,3-dinitrobenzene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, liver, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, liver, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, liver, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, liver, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, liver, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, liver, octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine, per wet mass",
"Limanda limanda, muscle, 1,3-dinitrobenzene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, muscle, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, muscle, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, muscle, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, muscle, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, muscle, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, muscle, octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine, per dry mass",
"Limanda limanda, sex",
"Limanda limanda, total length",
"Limanda limanda, urine, 1,3-dinitrobenzene",
"Limanda limanda, urine, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene",
"Limanda limanda, urine, 2,4-dinitrotoluene",
"Limanda limanda, urine, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene",
"Limanda limanda, urine, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene",
"Limanda limanda, urine, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine",
"Limanda limanda, urine, octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine",
"Limanda limanda, wet mass",
"Location",
"Sample ID",
"Validation flag/comment",
],
methods: [
"CTD",
"Gas chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Thermo Scientific, TSQ8000 Evo",
"Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), AB SCIEX, QTRAP 5500",
"Measuring board",
"Precision scale, Sartorius, R160P",
"Visual inspection",
],
},
)
Comment: NNW03L: dumping site code from the Federal and State Monitoring Programme (BLMP)
Tags: Verklappung ? Abfallablagerung ? Fisch ? Urin ? Meerwasser ? Stickstoff ? Munition ? Geografische Koordinaten ? Chemische Analyse ? Meeresorganismen ? Blut ? Fischsterben ? Öffentliche Gesundheit ? Metadaten ? Forschungsschiff ? Fischerei ? Nordsee ?
Region: North Sea
Bounding boxes: 7.92° .. 8.01° x 54.15° .. 55.05°
License: Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0
Language: Englisch/English
Issued: 2026-08-06
Modified: 2026-08-06
Last harvest: 09.09.2026 02:18
Time ranges: 2024-03-17 - 2024-03-20
Accessed 1 times.